Ohio State Checks in at No. 2 in ESPN Power Rankings

Ohio State has already checked in at No. 2 in the Coaches Poll, while the AP's rankings come out Aug. 14. Those are the two polls of record for college football, but ESPN also does its own power rankings.

The Buckeyes are No. 2, behind Alabama.

Here's what Austin Ward has to say:

Urban Meyer has already made history with the Buckeyes, but not the kind that comes with a crystal football, thanks to NCAA sanctions that kept the program out of the postseason last season. Ohio State is free from those shackles now, and Meyer has traditionally done his best work in Year 2 at previous stops. His latest encore campaign is headlined by quarterback Braxton Miller, fifth-place finisher in the Heisman race last year and a truly dynamic weapon. With four senior starters on the offensive line, a deep stable of running backs and more options at wide receiver, the dangerous spread attack could help the Buckeyes overcome some defensive inexperience and do something even more memorable this year.

I'm not worried about the defense as much as I was last year. More depth at LB (not a whole lot more) but they should be better this year. Lots of questions about the Dline will be answered in 22 days, as Cajun pointed out above. The secondary...I'm going to go out on a limb and say they may be the best in the country. Loaded in the d-backfield and it should be a no fly zone for a while.

Some people think we’re the hunted.I don’t feel that way at all.We’re the hunter.Everybody wants an angry football team.Everybody wants a team on edge and a hungry team.If you’re a hunter,that usually equates to being hungry.

If X-Brax returns for his senior season, I've gotta agree next year will be an unreal team.
Stanford is a team I am very curious about this year. They might be a potential "buster" for our BCS Champ game bid hopes if they run the table.

Oh the fun I'm having up here. All the talk is of Hoke's recruiting, which I agree can't be questioned. The question I ask is why, then, is OSU #2 and not scUM? To that I get no answer. Even though we all know its because we have Meyer and they have Hoke.

If Hoke's team loses more than 3 or more games this year I'm going to pin the John Cooper "best recruiter, bad game day coach" label on him. I mean, it was wonderful last November to be a Buckeye and see the same unproductive call from their offense the entire 2nd half, wasn't it?

I relished every second half transparent play. It's even every bit as beautiful in August as it was last November. However, if I were a scUM fan, I'd be livid with such play calling with the talent they had.

I'm so sick of Alabama fans and the SEC in general. They act like their invincible and will stay on top forever. I can't wait until either the Buckeyes or somebody out West knocks them off their high horse.

“I have yet to be in a game where luck was involved. Well-prepared players make plays. I have yet to be in a game where the most prepared team didn't win.” -Urban Meyer-